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Published on: April 23, 2014
Inclusion of Young Adults With Intellectual Disabilities in Their Transition to Employment: Designing the Vocational
Cristina C Parsons1, Margaret Gibson1, Marisa Thum1
1Department of Occupational Therapy, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO.
Objective:
To engage young adults with intellectual disabilities (ID) in redesigning the Vocational Fit Assessment (VFA), an algorithm-based assessment to support customized employment decisions for people with ID, toward an accessible self-report tool, the VFA Self-Report (VFA-SR).
Design:
A mixed-methods, competency-based approach to assessment and technology design for young adults with ID. We conducted cross-sectional cognitive interviews to collect qualitative and quantitative data on the interpretability of 102 candidate items and tool accessibility. Participants learned the VFA-SR rating scale, answered items while describing performance, and responded to Likert-style usability questions.
Setting:
Community.
Participants:
Eleven young adults (N=11; aged 19-23y) with mild/moderate ID.
Interventions:
Not applicable.
Main Outcome Measures:
Not applicable.
Results:
Five items on the VFA-SR were modified based on qualitative data from interviews. Participants were highly likely to answer "Yes" to items that described their performance positively, with an average alignment between "Yes" selections and positive performance of 97% (SD, 5%). All participants either "agreed" or "strongly agreed" that the VFA-SR was easy to use, and 9 reported feeling confident using it.
Conclusions:
Overall, young adults with mild/moderate ID felt the current iteration of the VFA-SR was easy to use and responded to the rating scale items as intended. We gained valuable insights into how to present information to young adults with ID, specific improvements to the items, and considerations for accessibility in subsequent iterations of the tool. Our study developed a version of the VFA that incorporates person-centered measurement principles (eg, Patient-Driven, Transparent, Comprehensible, and Timely) by encompassing young adults' goals, preferences, and priorities in employment planning decisions.
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